The pain of being a member of ASR

[Anton D]

And you know for a fact that the original USB cable was not defective in some way? Did the new one have a ferrite ring and the old one not? Just saying that the general case might not apply to every specific case.

It doesn't bother me when people on the internet are wrong, it doesn't bother me when people are happy with their audio. I don't need to change minds. I don't need to puncture people's placebo generated happiness.

Smile, nod, glad you like the change! That's enough before I move on.

My motto is, "It depends on what wine he serves me."

 

[fpitas]

I have to think ASR has already saved thousands of snakes from being harvested for their oil.

 

[restorer-john]

There is a possibility that his previous cable was inadequate for powering an audio device, but highly unlikely if being used only for data transfer.

This is very true. We have no idea whether the device was pulling a lot of current, causing a voltage drop or rail modulation internally with the attached device and compromising its performance. USB and especially USC-C is not black and white.

 

[kemmler3D]

This is very true. We have no idea whether the device was pulling a lot of current, causing a voltage drop or rail modulation internally with the attached device and compromising its performance. USB and especially USC-C is not black and white.

It's a fair point. USB is all the same as long as you have a solid data connection, as far as that goes. But the power situation has become a lot more complex over the years.

My MOTU M2 freaks out most of the time if I turn on phantom power. Is it possible a different USB cable could cure this? Honestly, yes. Is it possible that it would improve the sound quality coming from the line out? Not really...

 

[amirm]

I have many audiophile friends and even some manufacturers in the other camp. As long as they don't try to convince me their point of view is right, I will just smile and move on as others have said. We share the love of so many things and value friendships that a cable is not going to get in the way. I go through this extensively at audio shows. If I tried to argue, I would never get past the fifth room.

 

[Deleted member 21219]

If I tried to argue, I would [never] get past the fifth room.

Fifth? Do you mean I've got four more to go next show?????

Jim

 

[AdamG]

Fifth? Do you mean I've got four more to go next show?????

Jim

I think he meant a 5th of Whiskey…

 

[Timcognito]

I have many audiophile friends and even some manufacturers in the other camp. As long as they don't try to convince me their point of view is right, I will just smile and move on as others have said. We share the love of so many things and value friendships that a cable is not going to get in the way. I go through this extensively at audio shows. If I tried to argue, I would get past the fifth room.

I can't believe it after reading the Audiogon debates. Do you take drugs before the show?

 

[raif71]

Just had an experience with wires recently in one of my work projects. We had a system with RF tranceivers, comm modem, RTU and other stuff with SPD as switches. In the lab we used a power supply to simulate a lithium ion battery (12V). The board did not behave properly with the power supply but after changing wires that come out of the power supply, the board started to work. The original wires were ok to power a "smaller" setup but not with the work project. The wires that worked were slightly thicker. In this case, wire does matter.

 

[amirm]

I can't believe it after reading the Audiogon debates. Do you take drugs before the show?

There is a lot I like at shows like discovering new music, talking to engineers and business people, seeing reaction of others, etc. That there are $50K worth of cables in some rooms, is something I note but move on. I think it is important to be professional at shows.

 

[Timcognito]

There is a lot I like at shows like discovering new music, talking to engineers and business people, seeing reaction of others, etc. That there are $50K worth of cables in some rooms, is something I note but move on. I think it is important to be professional at shows.

FWIW you were very professional in AudioGon scrimmages, almost to a fault from my vantage point. I would have lost it. I bet there are a number of new ASR fans here because it.

 

[Multicore]

Despite ASR has gained big popularity over the years, the world we live in is still full of audiophools. Many of them are, sadly, our friends.

Sadly?

I can think of reasons to not want someone as a friend, e.g. the person is a blowhard, or an a-hole, or a bigot, or a bore. But over what kind of USB cable they enjoy? Really? That's like choosing friends based on what side they part their hair. Not that anyone has a side parting these days. You know what I mean.

 

[Todd k]

There is a lot I like at shows like discovering new music, talking to engineers and business people, seeing reaction of others, etc. That there are $50K worth of cables in some rooms, is something I note but move on. I think it is important to be professional at shows.

I thought you handled the agon blowhards very very well. You not once dropped into their gutter. There is no winning an argument over there even with the most fact based level headed explanations.

 

[delta76]

And you know for a fact that the original USB cable was not defective in some way? Did the new one have a ferrite ring and the old one not? Just saying that the general case might not apply to every specific case.

It doesn't bother me when people on the internet are wrong, it doesn't bother me when people are happy with their audio. I don't need to change minds. I don't need to puncture people's placebo generated happiness.

Smile, nod, glad you like the change! That's enough before I move on.

He did claim things like he hears differences in DAC, or he could hear improvements with burn in.

There is a possibility that his previous cable was inadequate for powering an audio device, but highly unlikely if being used only for data transfer.

He never complained about the sound (I meant he does compare between DACs and IEs), change the cable and suddenly everything gets better.

View attachment 330917

Basically what I did. "How much was it?" "50$". "Cool!". Don't want to hurt his feelings, and don't have energy to argue. I would rather suffer internally a bit than losing a friend

 

[kemmler3D]

That's like choosing friends based on what side they part their hair.

It's more like someone believing that parting their hair on a certain side will make them smarter... but that's still certainly forgivable to a great extent.

 

[Keith_W]

Here is another anecdote that shows my hearing isn't as good as I think it is.

Yesterday I was invited to a house along with a few friends. They all think of me as a "hard objectivist" and their own opinions range from subjectivist to objectivist. This system we were listening to included quantum dots, Bybee purifiers, Shakti stones, $1000 fuses, and of course huge speaker cables and power cords. We were listening to his system when the owner got up and said "tell me what you think of this" and then walked to both subwoofers and unplugged something. We all thought we could hear a difference, including myself. I said "it seems as if the bass has less impact".

It turns out that he unplugged a power cable conditioner which apparently works by creating a magnetic field around the power cable and "purifying" power to the subs (I don't remember the hocus-pocus description exactly, I was a bit dumbfounded!).

My friend sitting next to me laughed his head off, patted me on the back, and said "Oh Keith, you're f***ed!!".

So yeah, the power of suggestion and peer pressure made me think I could hear things that were not there. But I can tell you that the difference seemed very real.

 

[snaimpally]

Despite ASR has gained big popularity over the years, the world we live in is still full of audiophools. Many of them are, sadly, our friends. It's not enough to unfriend them over their belief in things that we believe are non senses/snake oils, but it's sometimes painful to see what they do or hear what they say about audio.
Today a friend of mine reach out and told me that he got a new silver USB C to USB C, and claimed it brings a lot of clarity to the sound. the harshness he had before was gone.
If I hadn't been on ASR, it was probably fine for me. But now it is so painful to read what he says

It was never a better time for this gif
View attachment 330903

How do you know its not true? Did you listen to both cables? Did you do electrical measurements of both cables? Perhaps the new cable has better electrical characteristics or noise rejection or the two ends are designed to make a better connection? Yes, there is snake oil out there, but there are also perfectly valid scientific, measureable reasons why one cable sounds better than another. Before making light of what he claims to have heard, at least do your due diligence and listen to both cables and measure both.

 

[restorer-john]

This system we were listening to included quantum dots, Bybee purifiers, Shakti stones, $1000 fuses, and of course huge speaker cables and power cords.

I don't believe it. Nobody with half a brain would put all that chit in a system.

I reckon you're taking the piss.

 

[sam_adams]

I reckon you're taking the piss.

OI!

Just so everyone knows what @restorer-john is referring to.

 

[DonR]

How do you know its not true? Did you listen to both cables? Did you do electrical measurements of both cables? Perhaps the new cable has better electrical characteristics or noise rejection or the two ends are designed to make a better connection? Yes, there is snake oil out there, but there are also perfectly valid scientific, measureable reasons why one cable sounds better than another. Before making light of what he claims to have heard, at least do your due diligence and listen to both cables and measure both.

Probability is on his side. Listening to both cables is pointless unless the original is severely impaired and if it were so, it would likely not work at all.